Goals: France—Delie 1’ - Ruiz 9’ (own-goal) - Sommer 13’, 36’ - Henry 80'
Recap: Ninety minutes of inspired football saw France defeat Mexico 5-0 on Wednesday, in what was the final match of the Women’s World Cup group stage for Group F.
It took all of 34 seconds for the French to flex their proverbial muscle. An unmissable header from Marie-Laure Delie opened the affair and sparked a flurry of goals for the favorites. Eugenie Le Sommer’s first-half brace came soon after a Jennifer Ruiz own-goal and lifted France to a 4-0 halftime lead.
Much of the same followed in the second half, with Amadine Henry providing the exclamation point in the 80th minute. Her strike from distance sealed the 5-0 victory.
Key Moment: There are few key moments in a 5-0 undressing, but of note was Delie’s opener in the first minute. At 34 seconds, it was the second-fastest goal in Women’s World Cup history.
Woman of the Match: Sommer provided a brace, but Delie’s infusion into the lineup was immediately felt—a plus for head coach Philippe Bergeroo considering his decision to leave Kenza Dali and Louisa Necib on the bench to start.
Lesson Learned: Don’t let the first two results of the tournament fool you: France are still legit contenders for the Women’s World Cup. Ranked third in the world, the French managed to overcome a stubborn English defense and a shock 2-0 defeat to Colombia. It wasn’t the most convincing group stage performance ever, but it was enough for Les Blues to finish atop Group F. Obviously, a 5-0 rout over the minnows of the group won’t erase all doubts created from previous efforts, but it will prove to be the confidence booster needed for the unpredictable knockout round.
Up Next: Mexico have been eliminated from the 2015 Women’s World Cup. France, however, advances to the Round of 16.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via ESPN).
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